Lubricating device for sewing machines



NOV. 21, 1933. M, L, WATERMAN 1,936,372

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Nov. 21, 1933. M..1 WATERMANLUBRICATING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed July l5, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 A i m"\ Km, NW ,wa

Patented Nov. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LBRICATING DEVICE FORSEWING MACHINES Application July 15, 1932. Serial No. 622,623

7 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating systems for sewing machines andhas for its object to provide simple and effective means forautomatically supplying lubricant to the bearings of sewing machines.

The invention consists in the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a front side elevation,partly in section, of a sewing machine containing a preferred embodimentof the improved lubricating device. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of aportion of the machine, with the lubricant collecting plate removed.Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 represents a perspective view, partly in section, of thelubricant-pump bracket. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the auxiliaryreservoir, substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is anenlarged transverse section of the auxiliary reservoir substantially onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The present improvement has been embodied in a sewing machine having abedor cloth-plate 1 from which rises the tubular standard 2 of anoverhanging bracket-arm 3 terminating in a head 4. Rotatably journaledin the bracket-arm 3 is a main actuating shaft 5 carrying at one end acombined balance-wheel and belt-pulley 6 ad- 30 jacent one of thebearings 7 of said shaft. At

its opposite end, the shaft 5 isoperatively connected in any usual orsuitable manner with a vertically reciprocatory needle-bar 8 carrying atits lower end a needle 9.

Suitably secured upon the main shaft 5 is a bevel-gear 10 in drivingengagement with a bevel-gear 11 carried by the upper end of a verticallydisposed, intermediate shaft 12 rotatably journaled in bearing bushings13 and 14 fixed 40 in suitame bearing-Mgg within the bracket-armstandard 2. In the present case, the ratio of the gears l0 and 11 issuch that the shaft 12 rotates twice for each rotation of the shaft 5.The shaft 12 extends downwardly through an opening 15 in 45 the bed-mate1, and xed upon said shaft direcuy below the lower bearing bushing 14 isa bevelgear 16 in mesh with a bevel-gear 17 upon one end of ahorizontally disposed loop-taker actuating shaft 18. The shaft 18 isrotatably jour- 50 naled in bearing bushings 19 and 2O suitably fixed inbearing lugs 21 and 22 depending from the bed-plate 1, said shaft 18carrying or actuating any usual or preferred type of loop-taker (notshown) for cooperation with the needle 9 in the formation of stitches.

Journaled 'for oscillation in suitable bearings provided at the rearunder side of the bed-plate 1 are the adjacent feed' and feed-liftrock-shafts 23 and 24 actuated by the eccentric-driven pitmen 25 and 26in any usual or suitable manner, 60 the specic stitch-forming andwork-feeding mechanism employed being immaterial to the presentinvention.

The vertically disposed intermediate shaft 12 extends downwardly belowthe bevel-gear 16 thereupon and its lower end is provided withperipheral spiral -grooves 27 terminating at their upper ends at a pointspaced from and below the bevel-gear 16. Closely embracing the shaftextension, including adjacent grooved and ungrooved portions thereof, isa shaft casing comprising the wall of a vertical aperture 28 provided ina depending boss 29 of a lubricant-pump bracket 30 secured by screws 31upon the under side of the bed-plate 1. At its lower end, thebracket-boss aperture 28 preferably has a counter bore 32 to provide alubricant entrance space between the wall of said aperture and thegrooved portion of the shaft 12, which latter preferably protrudesslightly below the bracket-boss 29 or may be otherwise formed to pick uplubricant. The boss-aperture 28 is also counter bored at its upper endand threaded to receive a packing gland 33 spaced slightly above theupper ends of the spiral grooves 27 of the shaft and below the bevelgear16. Suitably attached to the lower end of the bracket-boss 29 is alubricant filter screen 34 which, together with the lower end of theshaft 12, extends into a lubricant-well 35 provided by a cap 36 threadedinto a lubricant-collecting and guard-plate 37 draining toward said well35, said plate 37 being suitably secured to the under side of thebed-plate 1 to enclose the operating mechanism beneath the bed-plate.

Threaded into the bracket-boss 29 to open into a recess or chamber 42provided in the wall of the aperture 28 at the upper ends of the spiralgrooves 27 is a nipple 38 entered by the lower end of alubricant-conduit or bent pipe 39 which extends upwardly through thebed-plate opening 15 and has its upper end entering an aperture in thebottom Wall 40 of a lubricant-reservoir 4l. 'I'he reservoir 41, in thepresent case, is integral with the bracket-arm 3 and` is closed at thetop by a cover-plate 44, the rear wall of said reservoir terminating atits upper end in a forwardly extending lip which overhangs the bottomwall of the reservoir and serves to minimize the danger of lubricantescaping at the cover-plate joint when. the machine is tiltedbackwardly.

Connected with the reservoir 41 are different lubricant-conductingpipes, such as the pipes 46 directing lubricant to the bearing surfacesof the upper ends of the pitmen 25 and 26; the pipe 47 leading to theshaft bearing 7; the pipe 48 leading to the front bearing for the shaft5; the pipe 49 extending downwardly within the bracket-arm standard 3to'an auxiliary reservoir 50; and a drain pipe 51 of which the lower endis supported in an aperture 52 provided in the bracket-boss 29 inposition to return excess lubricant from the reservoir 41 to thelubricant-well 35. 'Ihe drainpipe 51 preferably extends slightly abovethe reservoir bottom wall to insure an adequate supply of lubricant tothe several lubricant-conducting pipes connected with said bottom wall40.

The auxiliary reservoir is fastened by screws 53 to the under side ofthe bed-plate 1 and has a longitudinal bore 54 into one end of which isthreaded a nipple 55 connecting the pipe 49 with said bore. Opening intothe bore 54 of the auxiliary reservoir are the reduced upper ends 56 ofa plurality of threaded apertures transverse to said bore 54, andadjustably threaded into said apertures are plugs 57 having pointed endsconstituting in effect needle-valves for controlling the flow oflubricant through the apertures 56. Connected with the apertures 56 arenipples 59, 60, 61 and 62 threaded into the auxiliary reservoir andentered by one of the ends of lubricant-conducting pipes 63, 64, 65 and66 leading to different bearing surfaces of the mechanism beneath thebed-plate 1. Any excess lubricant supplied to the bearings will bedrained by the guard-plate 37 into the well 35.

Upon operation of the machine, the spiral grooves 27 of the verticalshaft 12 feed the filtered lubricant upwardly within the bracket-bossaperture 28 into the chamber 42. As the packing gland 33 limits upwardmovement of the lubricant to a zone within the length of the shaft 12,the lubricant is forced from the chamber 42 into the conduit 39connected therewith, and through said conduit into the reservoir 41 fromwhich the lubricant is distributed to the several bearings, asdescribed. The provision of the drain pipe 51 prevents building upexcess pressure in the reservoir 41 and serves to practically empty saidreservoir when the machine remains idle for any considerable period.While the compression chamber 42 is herein described as formed byrecessing the bracket-boss 29, it is obvious that said chamber might beotherwise provided, as for instance, by recessing the shaft 12 adjacentthe upper ends of the spiral grooves 27.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:-

1. In a sewing machine having a frame provide'd with a lubricant-well,stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in said frame and including arotary shaft having a spirally grooved portion extending into saidlubricant-well, a shaft casing embracing the spirally grooved portion ofsaid shaft, means limiting the extent of feed of lubricant by the spiralgroove of said shaft to a zone within the length of the shaft, and meansincluding a lubricant-conduit connected with the interior of said casingat said zone for distributing to one or more of said bearings lubricantsupplied from said well upon rotation of said shaft.

2. In a sewing machine having a frame provided with a lubricant-well,stitch-forming mechanism having .bearings in said frame and including arotary shaft having a spirally grooved portion extending into saidlubricant-well, a stationary shaft-casing embracing the spirally groovedportion of said shaft, a gland carried by said casing acting to limitthe extent of feed of lubricant by the spiral groove of said shaft to azone within the length of the shaft, and means including alubricant-conduit connected with the interior of the casing adjacent tosaid gland for distributing to one or more of said bearings lubricantsupplied from said well upon rotation of said shaft.

3. Inra sewing machine having a frame provided with a lubricant-well anda lubricantreservoir, stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in saidframe and including a rotary shaft having a spirally grooved portionextending into said lubricant-well, a shaft casing embracing thespirally grooved portion of said shaft and provided with means limitingthe extent of feed of lubricant lengthwise of said shaft, alubricantconduit connecting the interior of said shaft casing with saidlubricant-reservoir, and means connected with said reservoir fordistributing lubricant to one or more of said bearings.

4. In a sewing machine having a frame comprising a cloth-plate and abracket-arm including an upright standard rising from said clothplate, alubricant-well and a lubricant-reservoir supported by said frame,stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in said frame, a rotary shaftdisposed vertically in said standard having a spirally grooved portionof its length extending into said lubricant-well, a. shaft casingembracing the spirally grooved portion of said shaft, alubricant-conduit connecting the interior of said casing with saidlubricant-reservoir, and means connected with said reservoir fordistributing lubricant to one or more of said bearings.

5. In a sewing machine having a frame comprising a cloth-plate and abracket-arm including an upright standard rising from said clothplate, alubricant-well and a lubricant-reservoir supported by said frame,stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in said frame, including arotary needle-reciprocating shaft journaled in said bracket-arm, arotary loop-taker actuating shaft journaled beneath said cloth-plate, avertically disposed intermediate shaft journaled in the bracket-armstandard and connecting the needle-reciprocating and loop-takeractuating shafts, said intermediate shaft having a spirally groovedportion extending into said lubricantwell, a stationary shaft-casingembracing said spirally grooved portion of the intermediate shaft, alubricant conduit connecting the interior of said shaft casing with saidlubricant-reservoir, and means connected with said reservoir fordistributing lubricant from said reservoir to one or more of saidbearings.

6. In a sewing machine having a frame comprising a cloth-plate and abracket-arm including an upright standard rising from said clothplate, alubricant-well beneath said cloth-plate, a lubricant-reservoir upon saidbracket-arm, stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in said frame,including a rotary needle-reciprocating shaft journaled in saidbracket-arm, a rotary loop-taker actuating shaft journaled beneath saidcloth-plate, a vertically disposed intermediate shaft journaled in thebracket-arm standard and connecting the needle-reciprocating andloop-taker actuating shafts, said intermediate shaft having a spirallygrooved portion extending below the cloth-plate into said lubricantwell,a shaft casing embracing said spirally grooved portion of theintermediate shaft, a lubricant-conduit connecting the interior of saidshaft casing with said lubricant-reservoir, iubricant-conducting meansconnected with said reservoir for distributing lubricant to one or Ymore of said bearings, and a lubricant-collecting plate beneath saidcloth-plate acting to drain excess lubricant into said lubricant-weil.

7. In a sewing machine having a frame provided with a lubricant-well anda lubricantreservoir, stitch-forming mechanism having bearings in saidframe, a rotary shaft having a

